Friday City Chic

Friday City Chic
Originally uploaded by RedDawn Bade

I was really making the effort this morning to clean up my inventory, but kept finding all kinds of great stuff that I couldn't recall purchasing. I quickly got so distracted rezzing boxes and trying on outfits that I gave up with the inventory clean-up efforts. Oh well, there's always tommorrow!

Anyway, here's one of the outfits that I found lost in my inventory. It's called the Heiress Suit and is from Last Call. It's got a great city chic feel to it - with just the right mix of sexiness and attitude.

The pants come down to just below the knee without the boots. The top is on a jacket layer - which I love as it allows all kinds of mix and match possibilities for layering. My personal favorite thus far wearing a corset under the jacket. That really makes for a head turning fashion statement. This outfit also includes two pairs of sunglasses for even more attitude.

The boots are from another Last Call outfit called Milena. They are made with a great sculpted platform heel and have a faint fabric texture to the boot - though it is hard to see with all the rest of the black in this outfit.

The skin is part of the new Vogue Deviant Nation collection. Here I'm wearing the cashmere skin tone with the Vamp / Enchantment makeup. Like all Vogue skins, the make up and face are flawless. I really like the simpleness of this makeup. It has a very light and tintable lipstick combined with a great dark lined eye.

Rounding out the outfit is Morgan hair from GuRl 6, Lunaria necklace and earnings from Earthtones (color changing jewels), and silver nails from Second Skins Labs.

Outfit: Heiress Suit - Last Call
Boots: Part of Milena Outfit - Last Call
Jewelry: Lunaria - Earthtones
Hair: Morgan - GuRl 6
Skin and Lashes: Vouge - Deviant Nation (Cashmere - Vamp / Enchantment)
Nails: Second Skin Labs

Dark Angel

Dark Angel
Originally uploaded by RedDawn Bade

I modeled several interesting outfits and avatars from Isis Desmoulins of Pleiades Design the other day.

The outfit here is called Dark Angel and consists of two prim attachments that wrap the body and flex and flow with the slightest movement or breeze. The material is very sheer - and while providing just the right amount of coverage, it has a great mix of innocence and mystery. The whole outfit has a very etheral feel that I fell in love with - if only I had more places to wear something so 'light' yet so beautiful and dark.

Isis makes many other creative outfits, including complete avatars and a gorgeous line of mermaids. The outfit I'm wearing comes in several other colors as well - so if your inner 'angel' isn't as dark as mine - you can find one to fit your style.

Outfit: Dark Angel - Pleiades Designs
Hair: Morgan - Gurl 6
Skin: PJ-1 - Second Skin Labs

SL4B and Arteer's Red Curtain

Arteer's Red Curtain
Originally uploaded by RedDawn Bade

Ok. Go ahead. Call me lazy. I'm very behind in keeping my blog up to date.

It's been a crazy week. I just finished my second runway show, with something like 15-20 outfits to model - so it's been madness the past week preparing and practicing. I'll try to get some posts in on the outfits - there were some amazing designs. Anyway - enough of my excuses - on to today's post.

If you've not been hiding under a rock, you should know that this past weekend was the fourth anniversary of Second Life. There are a number of sims set up with displays, artwork, demonstration, and 'best of' stuff as part of the celebration (search SL4B - sorry, too lazy to grab an SLURL).

Several of the sims have areas set aside for resident artwork. A number of my Flickr friends have set up displays of their works at SL4B.

One of the artist - Arteer - has set up a big red curtain in her gallery. The past several days I have seen quite a number of pictures come through Flickr with pictures of mostly cheeky shots in front of this curtain. It's almost become a rite of passage - go to SL4B - find Arteer's red curtain - take pictures.

SLURL Arteer's Red Curtain

So of course I went - found the curtain - and took cheeky pictures.

Of course there is a lot more to see and do at SL4B. Not to mention a lot of great artwork from a lot of great artists. So go check out SL4B - find the curtain - and take your own picture. If you feel like sharing - post them to the Arteer's Red Curtain group on Flickr.

Here's the link to a group on Flickr: Flickr Group Arteer's Red Curtain

Have fun.

Little Red Dress - x2

After spending the past weekend wearing very tomboyish jeans and cowboy hats, I decided to be a little more girly this week. And what better way than to pull out a couple of very cute little red summer dresses.



My first outfit starts with Cameron, a great little dress by Ginny Talamasca of Last Call. The top of this dress is a gorgeous satin and lace material, with the bottom a nice short flexi prim skirt. The lace detail is great - it almost feels like I'm wearing a lace teddy with a skirt. Very girly.

The rest of the outfit includes a pair of satin bow tied shoes by Fallingwater Cellador of Shinny Things. I just cannot get enough of her shoes. I think I have most styles in multiple colors. The necklace is also from Shinny Things and is called Zeyla.

Completing the outfit is Daisy hair from Calla and Vintage Alina skin by Lost Thereian of Naughty.

My second outfit begins with Slither, a very short and sexy dress from Stellar Designs. This is such a playful dress, and is great for the warm months of summer. The top also goes very well as a mix and match piece - paired with everything from jeans to leather pants.



I've paired it here with some of my favorite hair from Gurl 6 called babe 3. I think I have ever color of this style. I love the little wisps of flexi hair that hang from the sides and back. Too cute.

Another pair of shoes from Shinny Things, Hayley skin by Ambyance2 Anubis, and a bracelet, anklet, chocker and pendant from Tomboy round out the outfit. The bracelet, anklet and chocker allow you to set the lettering on the beads, creating custom messages.

Who the Hell Do I Think I Am

Stargazing B&W
Originally uploaded by RedDawn Bade

I ran across a new Second Life group on Flickr with the title "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Sue Stonebender, the creator of the group, explains the challenge as an invitation "to dig into your own scarred psyche and hermetically sealed beautiful soul and come up with some creative answers through photo stories."

Provocative question.

So I've decided to take up the challenge and attempt to answer that question over the next several weeks (or months, or whatever).

Stay tuned.

Mix and Match - Friday Bonus Post

Mix and Match
Originally uploaded by RedDawn Bade

As I had a few more moments to grab in world this afternoon, I thought I'd put together a quick outfit with a few of my favorite things collected over the past several weeks.

To start, the corset top and boots are all part of an outfit called "Milena" from Last Call. This is one of the first outfits with sculpties from Last Call. The boots have a sculptie sole, and the full outfit includes a sculptie bustle skirt, gloves, and a full length prim skirt. It's a very sexy outfit with lots of options for mix and match.

The jeans are also from Last Call, with just the right mix of wear and tear added for that great street look. While basic, I'm sure these jeans will match up well with many tops in your inventory - from t-shirts to dress tops.

The hair is from Celestial Studios, and includes this great sculptie hat. Another staple for casual mix and match wardrobes.

The skin (and lashes) are Vouge for Deviant Nation. It's a very light skin tone with beautiful make-up details. Unfortunately, if you don't already have it - you never will. It was part of the clearance sale at Last Call several weeks ago and is no longer available. It was a great find for $L500.



Lastly, the cuffs are a freebie gift from Last Call (join the update group to get all kinds of great stuff along with announcements on new releases and sales). The neckband is self made from a one prim twisted tube.

Formal Friday

Formal Friday
Originally uploaded by RedDawn Bade

It's been a crazy couple of weeks in RL and SL, and I've gotten way behind in updating the blog. While I've had a few minutes to get out and go shopping, I've had very little time to actually wear any of my purchases, and what little time I've had has been killed by SL issues.

So with SL's cooperation and a few spare moment's in-world this morning - here's the first of hopefully a few posts on my finds.

The dress is called "Empire Falls" and is part of x3d's Marie Antoinette Collection. It has one of the most stunning prim skirts of anything I've seen or worn. The textures are amazing and highly detailed while the movement is natural and flowing.

My jewelry is from a set called Ice Queen by Random Calliope. I lost count of how many prims it contains, but let's just say it is a lot. The detail is unbelievable.

Random is a true artist with his jewelry - as well as a great guy. While I was at his shop, he stopped by and chatted about his work. He even dropped me a few extra pieces of jewelry. This man surely knows how to win a lady's heart.

Random even has a couple of gorgeous freebie jewel sets available at his shop as a gift to the residents of SL, along with some sort of puzzle called the Mata Hari Challenge, which leads to more free jewelry. I haven't tried it, but it sure sounds like fun.

My hair is Janae by ETD, a great updoo style that pairs well with formal outfits. I've also gone with a black hairstyle given my usual blond a rest.

My skin and nails are from Second Skins labs. Eyes from X2 Exotica. Lashes from Celestial Studios.

Close Up

As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, SL appearance is very much set by the skin you wear. In order to further illustrate my point, I'm posting a couple of picture collages here that show a close-up of my face with a number of different skins.

This first set shows clockwise from left to right:

1-4: Second Skin Lab PJ-1 / custom makeup
5-7: Paris by Naughty / athletic light tone
8: Haley by Naughty Designs
(For larger views - click the pictures and view the full size versions at Flickr)

With only three different skins and a number of makeup options I can go from playful to glamorous, young to mature (though not old), and casual to professional.

Not wanting to limit myself, I've since bought a couple of additional skins and updated the close ups.



Again, left to right clockwise:

1: Gala Skins - Medium
2: Hayley - Naughty Designs
3: Paris - Light Athletic - Naughty Designs
4: Hyperfusion - Bare Rose - X2
5: PJ1 - Second Skin Labs
6: Alina - Vintage Alina - Naughty
7: Vouge - Pure / Ether - Deviant Nation
8: Pearl - Plain - Nylon Outfitters

As you can see, with the expanded selection I can extend the range of looks that I can put together. And all before I even think about hair, outfits, shoes, and accessories.

Am I addicted to skins - you could say that.

My World, My Imagination

RedDawn for SL Governor
Originally uploaded by RedDawn Bade

Imagine my surprise this week at hearing about an upcoming election for SL Governor, and more importantly, that I could cast my hat in the race.

So without further ado, I, RedDawn Bade, do hereby ask for your vote as the next SL Governor.

If elected, I promise to continue the great work of our current Governor.

It will be my pleasure to keep rolling out new features at all costs, especially any features wanted by our corporate benefactors. I know some people are worried that this may increase the instability of the grid, but I say those folks are just afraid of change. Given the chance, they'd probably go back to ASCII art for stabilities sake.

I'll also continue working to make SL safe. I plan to roll out a new LSL function "llThoughtPolice". Just add this function to any scripted item, and once activated, it will automatically terminate the account of any avatar found to have non-conforming thoughts within a 96 sqm area.

As for resident concerns about lag, inventory loss, IM issues and such, I really don't see the problem.

Lag allows us to to slow down and enjoy our SL experience. Think how much would be missed if everything rezzed up instantaneously and we were able to move in real time.

Inventory issues can be turned into a great game of hide and seek. It also puts us all on equal terms as even those who can spell can't find anything without a little extra time and effort.

And IM issues provide us coverage to ignore friends when they send IMs asking for help, as well as allow us to get to know some of the more interesting residents who enjoy great group chat - even if completely off topic.

I also promise to continue the great dialog that exists between our community and the current Governor. I'll make it a point to increase the number of posting to the blog, be they incomprehensible, contradictory, or completely irrelevant. I'll implement a new toll-free support option for all residents, wherever they may be (800-NO-SUPPORT).

And last, I'll be working with our corporate partners to ensure we have a steady source of revenue without having to raise taxes on residents. I'll do this by auctioning off the naming rights to mainland sims. Should that not generate enough revenue, we'll look at naming rights to islands as well.

I foresee great days ahead for SL, and can't wait to move into the new Kraft Foods SL Governors Mansion on lovely Halliburton sim.

For more on my opponents, check out Vint Falken's coverage at:

Vint's SL Election Coverage

Hello people, this is satire. Like SL, it’s not real. No avatars of any size or age were harmed in the making of this post. Linden Labs® and Second Life® officially do not recognize this election. Unfortunately.

Windows on your avatars soul

eyes
Originally uploaded by RedDawn Bade

As a follow-up to the advice on skins, this weeks suggestion is to focus on your eyes. You know, those things in your head that bring life to your avatar.

I must confess that I didn't spend a lot of time thinking about eyes myself. I had a couple of pairs of whatever came in the freebie boxes I picked up the first week.

But after seeing some of the photos of other avatars and their wonderful expressions, I quickly spotted the eyes as an easy area for improvement. If you look carefully at a great portrait, many times it is the look captured in the eye that makes the shot.

The photo here shows me with 8 different eyes. The eyes across the top and down the left side are all Hyperfusion from X2. They are sold in a package with quite a few different colors and shades. The last three in the bottom right corner are all Paris eyes from Naughty. Besides the different colors, note that the Naughty eyes have a smaller pupil.

I know there are many other great places to go to find eyes besides X2 and Naughty, so consider these good starting places for your shopping. Same as with the skin advice, if you see some eyes you like, just ask the person where they got them. Oh, and be sure to let me know too. I'm always looking for something to improve my appearance.

Modeling Portfolio Photography Tips

Updated Portfolio Shot
Originally uploaded by RedDawn Bade

So you've decided to try your hand at modeling. You know you need to put together a portfolio, but don't want to spend a fortune paying somebody else - not to mention you just aren't sure if you'll be happy with the results.

Well fret no more. You can put together your own portfolio photographs with tools available to all.

I'm going to start with the basic assumption that you have your outfits and poses already set (if not - topic for another day).

First - shoot with a white background. If you have access to something like a Photosphere or set - just set it to a white background. Of course you can always create your own set by rezzing a few prims, setting texture to blank, color white, full bright.

Second - make sure you have maximized your camera settings. Under the Client menu (Mac: Cmd-Alt-Shift-D), make sure to check the option for High-res Snapshot (only helps if you're downloading to disk first). Also, check the option under Client > Rendering > Features > Foot Shadows (Mac: Cmd-Opt-5). This will get rid of those annoying foot shadows that stand out against the white background.

I'd also recommend checking your graphics setting under Edit > Preferences (Mac: Cmd-P). As you will be shooting close up against a white background, you can turn down your draw distance (Graphics Tab) and turn up your avatar mesh detail (Graphics Detail Tab).

Third - set up some lights. If you're using a pre-built stage, you may already have lights built in - just set the to white. Once again, you can always make your own.

I like to rezz a couple of phantom spheres, use a full transparency texture (totally clear - all alpha), color white, then use the Light options under the Features tab of the prim edit menu. Move them around until you get full coverage with no shadows. Do note that you'll need to have Highlight Transparent turned on to see them (Mac: Cmd-Opt-T)

As a side note: for interesting lighting effects, try changing the texture color.

You can also use these as body lights. Link a pair of spheres together, take them into your inventory, and then attach them to your mouth (or other free spot). Once they rezz, you can move them around to get them in the best position. This is also a great way to use lights on location even if the land does not allow building.

Lastly, strike a pose and snap away. Personally, I send all my photos to my computer's hard drive. I don't really do a lot of post processing as I don't have any Photoshop skills to speak of - but I do like to review my shots, pick the best ones, crop, and maybe add a little text. Select your best and upload.

Now go show your friends, pass out your portfolio, rezz a prim and decorate your place with your own artwork using you as the subject (vanity at it's best).

If you need a quite place to shoot your portfolio, feel free to stop by my studio and use my Photosphere.

RedDawn's Studio